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Saturday, November 19, 2011

Gerber Infant Spoons vs. Munchkin Infant Spoons

We had so much trouble feeding solid food to our first child (so much so that she really skipped that stage altogether and went straight to finger foods), so with #2 I really wanted to make sure we started out on the right foot, especially since we were planning on starting her on solid foods so early.

We already had the Munchkin spoons, but I wanted a fresh start, thinking maybe different spoons would make the transition easier. I liked the classic look of the Gerber Graduates Infant BPA-Free Soft-Tip Spoons, and thought that if the spoons were a bit shallower (as these are), maybe they'd be easier to use.

SUCCESS!

But here's what I think: I think that for early feeding (like under 6 months), these Gerber soft-tip spoons are perfect. They have less of a lip than the Munchkin Infant Soft-Tip Spoon (i.e. they're not as deep), so I think it's easier for a little mouth to scoop the food out.

However, once your baby gets the hang of eating (and that may take a week and it may

take a month or longer), then the Gerber spoons end up being a bit too small. They don't hold much food and the baby just starts biting on it rather than eating (as they are nice and chewy). At that point, the Munchkin spoons are perfect, and will continue to be perfect for a good year or so. (I do remember, though, that once baby embarks on the self-feeding stage, the Munchkin spoon handles are a bit too long...at which point I highly recommend the Learning Curve Take & Toss spoons (which I can't believe anyone would actually ever toss). And you won't want to buy these instead of the Munchkin spoons because the mouth part will be wide for an infant.)

So, the Munchkin spoons are definitely worth buying, but is it worth it to buy the little Gerber spoons if they'll only be good for a month or so? Maybe borrow them from a friend -- in fact, anyone want to borrow ours?

NOTE: I really do like these Gerber spoons, but I also need to point out that Meira could probably have shown the same excellent eating results with a gigantic adult soup spoon. That girl loves her food! Still, I do think that the Gerber spoons were a comfortable stepping stone.